NJ A4544

Students found to have committed a bias incident on school property, at school functions, or on school buses must meet weekly with a state-certified school psychologist for a minimum of nine months.

Each school district must employ at least one school psychologist with training in implicit bias, racial equity, or cultural competence to provide these mandatory counseling services.

Students must be placed in an alternative education program if their parent/guardian refuses consent for the required psychologist meetings, or if they commit a subsequent bias incident after completing the nine-month intervention.

School districts must develop individualized Racial and Bias Intervention Plans for each student involved in a bias incident, including educational sessions on discrimination and civil rights, restorative conferences with affected students, and social-emotional learning interventions.

All bias incidents must be reported to the Department of Education within 72 hours, and the department must publish quarterly dashboards and an annual statewide report on bias incidents in schools.